Online dating is as normal to life as is online shopping. Believe it or not, online dating has been around for 20 years, and as a result, cybercriminals are finding big money in people looking for love. However, these aren’t issues that should deter you from fishing in the sea of online dating.
In this guide, we will take you step-by-step through the entire online dating process. From finding the best dating site, protecting your digital privacy, all the way up to that first date, we’ve got you covered.
Step 1
Choosing the right site
The cyber-sea of love can be overwhelming to navigate...

February 13th is National Clean out Your Computer day, and there’s good reason behind it. When you “clean” your computer, you don’t just dust off the keyboard and wipe fingerprints from the screen. You also pay attention to the state of the hard drive, updating software and removing old programs.
​Why is cleaning up your computer important?
Clean software helps protect your data. Internet security software and regular program updates help ensure that viruses, malware, and remote “hackers” stay out of your system. When you maintain your files by backing them up, deleting unused programs,...

It’s the age of modern romance. The approach of finding a partner has changed over a period of time. Busy lives and innovative technology have given rise to apps and websites that has increased the probability of finding a suitable companion. As in finding love the traditional way, online dating too also has its pros and cons.
A recent survey by Norton among men and women in Australia and New Zealand revealed that almost a quarter of the people who have tried online dating and no longer have a profile have found their partner online. The survey* conducted among New Zealanders and Austra...

We announced some exciting news in November about Symantec’s plans to acquire LifeLock, and now I’m happy to share that the deal has closed and our integration with LifeLock, and its enterprise subsidiary ID Analytics, is underway.
There is a lot of passion and excitement from our combined team around the promise and potential we have together to provide a comprehensive digital safety platform that gives you, our customers, a greater sense of security with the addition of identity theft protection expertise.
With this acquisition, Symantec is redefining what safety means in a connected w...

Have you heard about cutting the cord? It’s a way to replace cable television that has grown in popularity as more people are upgrading to Smart TVs and video streaming devices. Renting equipment from cable service providers can be costly, and for many cutting the cord can also cut the bill. If you’re on the fence here are a few tips to get you started and most importantly home network security best practices to consider. Smart TVs are making headlines for faulty security and privacy risks. So when you cut the cord, stream smarter and more secure. Here’s how:
Step one: A smart TV
Smar...

Every day more of the country gets better, faster Wi-Fi coverage. But that doesn’t stop your signal at home from dropping off or grinding to a halt every now and then. Here are the latest tips from our top experts on how to get the most from your home Wi-Fi service.

To understand the importance of privacy in the digital age, one must understand exactly what it is before it can be valued. There seems to be a good number of people in the “I’m not doing anything wrong, therefore, I have nothing to hide” camp. Well, we are here to bust that myth. The truth of the matter is, right or wrong, we have everything to hide.
What Is Privacy?
Privacy is closing your bedroom curtains when getting ready for bed. Privacy is visiting with your doctor behind closed doors. While in real life this type of privacy comes naturally, with little thought, in the digital s...

Fifty-one percent of people think that over the past five years it’s become harder to stay safe and secure online than in the real world. Yet, 689 million people in 21 countries experienced cybercrime within the last year alone. The reason for this staggering number is simple. Most people don’t take the right precautions to protect their digital lives. While some are unaware of online dangers others think it can be dealt with after it happens. The truth remains that cybercrime is evolving rapidly and impacting the daily and digital lives of people.
Revealed in a survey conducted last ye...

Our daily and digital lives overlap each other. Since our personal safety takes precedence over everything, it’s safe to say that our digital security is a close second.
The price of digital safety
It’s hard to put a price tag on digital safety. Take malware for example. These sneaky little codes find their way into your devices and transmit your personal information to computers far away that are operated by fraudsters. The end result could translate into anything from cybercriminals draining your bank account to holding all your information hostage by freezing your device and asking ...

The Internet threat landscape was booming last year for cybercriminals. We reported on 54 major events in 2016. And that’s not counting the little stuff. The threat landscape shifted slightly in the past year, and we have seen some new trends. However, some of the older ones are sticking around and still going strong.
New Threat Predictions for 2017
1. The Internet of Things
The First Major Attack on IoT Devices​
2016 was the breakout year for attacks on IoT devices. In October, the first massive cyber attack involving IoT devices, such as​ ​webcams and DVRs, occurred. The ​Mirai B...

New High-Performance Wi-Fi Router, Built from The Ground Up to Secure Home Networks and IoT Devices, Will Come Bundled with Subscription to Award-Winning Norton Security
Mountain View, Calif. – Jan. 3, 2017 – Building on a heritage of industry-leading and award-winning security software, Norton by Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC) today changed the future of digital safety with the announcement of Norton Core. Norton Core is a uniquely-designed, high-performance Wi-Fi router that is available for pre-orders today and will change the way people secure their connected homes.
Today’s home networks, b...

Internet of Things gadgets aren’t just for toys for techies. They are actually more accessible by cost and ease of use, and people are finding convenience in creating a “smart home” with connected things.
However, convenience does not come without risk. One of the key security concerns with smart homes is ensuring that devices are not vulnerable to hacking and cyber attack. Let’s take a look at how-to create a smart home while following cybersecurity best practices.
What Is a Smart Home?
While the term “Smart Home” has been used a lot these days, especially with the rapid emergence of ...

980 data breaches occurred in 2016. That left an approximate 35,233,317 known records exposed. Over the years, data breaches have become more sophisticated, and cybercriminals target both large corporations and small businesses.
2016 saw a string of data breaches that left sensitive information of millions of people at the mercy of cybercriminals. In addition to financial consequences, these data breaches ruined customer trust and the reputation of the companies in question.
As we look back at 2016 here are some of the most impactful data breaches that shook the world.
117 Million Lin...

Surprisingly, in this always-connected day and age, people surveyed by Norton in Australia and New Zealand said they plan to do less than 40% of their Christmas shopping online.
Norton released results of their Online Shopping Survey just in time for the holidays, when online retailers offer sales to lure shoppers into buying presents for themselves and others. However, the survey results may indicate those promotions are not enough to encourage security-concerned shoppers to buy online.
While concerns about online shopping risks are high, only 23 % of people in Australia and 20% of peop...

Congratulations on your new device! You’re likely caught up in the fun of having a new gadget, and probably shopping for a shiny (or sparkly) new case. While a case protects your device from nature and clumsy hands, it doesn’t make your phone absolutely safe. Why? Because it doesn’t protect what matters most—your information.
Think about all that you do on your devices—sharing precious photos, ordering your favorite latte, and shopping. With the rise of cybercrime and the high costs associated with it, it’s even more important that you learn how to protect what matters most—the personal i...

As the most popular travel days of the year approach, many holiday travelers are creating mental checklists for navigating busy airports — most likely with their trusty mobile devices in hand and laptops in their bags. To save fliers the headache and heartbreak of having their devices compromised en route to Grandma’s house, here’s a checklist to keep smartphones, tablets, and laptops safe while spending time in an airport.

Cybercrime is a growing threat in 2016. You might think that the only form of cybercrime you have to worry about is hackers stealing your financial information. Unfortunately there are far more concerns than just basic financial ones. When you see the full list of cybercrimes out there, you might be tempted to stop using the Internet entirely. However, such drastic measures are not necessary. All you need to do to protect yourself is take some basic precautions and know who to contact when you see others engaged in criminal activities online.
​What Is Cybercrime?
Cybercrime is any ...

The holidays are just around the corner, and that means many of us will be making purchases online to avoid large crowds and busy mall traffic. While online shopping has made our lives easier, it also exposes new weaknesses with the information we use to make those very purchases.
The holiday season is a lucrative time for online retailers and cybercriminals see this as an opportunity to profit as well. In fact, Norton Safe Web found that shopping sites are amongst the top ten most frequently exploited websites. An additional concern is bogus e-commerce websites, which are made to look le...

Whether you own a small business or a big one, you live in a world where cybersecurity is of paramount importance. Big business, small business, academic institutions, government agencies, nonprofits… all of these need to take an interest in cybersecurity or pay the price. It’s a matter or success, but also a matter of national security. Those working in critical infrastructure have a special obligation to make sure that they’re securing the workplace. Here are some of the best ways to create a culture of cybersecurity where you work.
It All Starts With Education and Training
Cybersecuri...

A new survey uncovers the prevalence of harassment against men in the online world and suggests ways to combat it.
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On the face of it, Gold Coast Titans National Rugby League (NRL) player Jarryd Hayne hardly seems a likely candidate for cyberbullying.
The former Parramatta Eels, San Francisco 49ers and Fiji rugby sevens superstar holds an elite place in Australian rugby league history, having been awarded the Dally M Medal twice as the NRL's player of the year. He has represented Australia and Fiji and in 2009 was also named the Rugby League International Federation’s International Pla...

Since our physical world has become so integrated with our technology, it’s not as easy as to protect it back when all we had to worry about was our computers and laptops. However, in this day and age, that is not the case. The threat landscape has evolved just as our technology has. The more devices that are out there equal more things for cybercriminals to attack.
Personal cybersecurity is a now a multi-pronged approach. It’s not as simple as installing antivirus on a computer anymore. A good foundation to personal cybersecurity is knowledge. Since threats don’t come solely in digital f...

The security of electronic voting machines has been the subject of scrutiny, just before the November U.S. presidential elections. Are they secure? Are they anonymous? And if the answer is yes, how can we possibly know? A Symantec security expert recently demonstrated just what a motivated hacker can do to undermine the election by hacking an electronic voting machine.
Can Hackers Hack the Election?
At the Black Hat convention this year, Symantec’s Brian Varner demonstrated a security flaw in an electronic voting machine and the smart card a voter would use to place their vote. Using...

Most of us use search engines on a daily basis. It’s become automatic. If we don’t know what something is, or hear a word that we can’t define, we go online and type the term into our favorite search engine. And voila, we have our answer in seconds. But did you ever stop to wonder what happens to your searches?

With this little known exploit, a mobile phone’s battery life can actually be used to track online behavior. Security researchers have found that the battery status API of mobile devices can be used to track people online. In some instances, this can be used to upsell services purchased through a mobile app, ride sharing “surge pricing” for example. How else can this be used? Here’s what you need to know about the privacy and security issues raised.
What is the Battery Status API
The Battery Status API was introduced in HTML5, and this was intended to give site owners information so th...

It is beginning to feel like the Internet is a basic necessity for existence in the 21st century. With all our devices connected to the Internet, we have an indescribable physical mobility that leads to increased productivity. It is safe to say that the Internet is for everyone and does not limit itself to the tech savvy. Unfortunately, when not safeguarded, the Internet can be a playground for nefarious activities caused by people with malicious intent.
Take a home wireless network as an example. Almost every member of the family accesses it through laptops, PCs, cell phones and tablet...

Children today can access more information than any generation before. Because of the Internet they now have a wealth of information that can enrich their lives in new and wondrous ways. But the Internet also has the potential to harm us, and the people we love. Too often we read about another company falling victim to a cyber attack, or a friend’s email or social network account being hacked. These dangers are real.
And though there are real reasons to protect your kids and your data from cyber thieves, you shouldn’t need to shy away from the advantages the Internet has to offer your f...

VoIP is an acronym for “voice over Internet Protocol.” That means any phone call that takes place over the Internet, rather than on landlines or through mobile towers. This alternative to traditional phone calls is gaining in popularity exponentially with both companies and consumers. Skype, Google Voice, and FaceTime are well-known and extremely popular examples of Internet telephony services. The question is: Are phone calls made over the Internet vulnerable to standard online security risks? The answer is yes, as is any other information transmitted this way, especially in light of recent hacks to VoIP apps. Read on to find out how to secure your VoIP calls.

When hacking was first introduced in film and television, it was nowhere near as prevalent as it is today. The threat landscape was years away from becoming what it is now, so hacking and cybercrime wasn’t quite the household name it is today, therefore, there was a wide unfamiliarity of it within the public eye.
Directors and writers have struggled with how to portray hacking in film simply because the act of hacking in real life is not very interesting or visually compelling. It’s just lines of code scrolling down a computer screen. In order to keep the viewer entertained they used chee...

Cyberbullying is not very different from the ill reputed bullying that happens in the school yard. It has the same psychological and social implication that leaves the formative minds of children insecure. What makes cyberbullying a little more intense than bullying is it not limited to the school yard.
According to a 2015 survey 34.4% of students between the ages of 11 and 15 have been cyberbullied. This includes children who have been threatened online to be hurt, had rumors spread about them, or had mean and hurtful comments or pictures of them online.
This onslaught of hateful messag...

Did you know that an attacker can flood your house via the water dispenser on your connected refrigerator? Or that bluetooth enabled locks can be picked from ¼ of a mile away using radio frequencies? I didn’t either, until I attended this year’s DefCon 24, an annual hacking convention in Las Vegas.
While a hotel in Las Vegas full of 22,000 hackers sounds like it might not be a good idea, it’s just the opposite. The purpose of this conference is to bring together Internet security professionals from all over the world to help educate, inform and learn how to make the Internet a safer place...

A form of phishing, smishing is when someone tries to trick you into giving them your private information via a text or SMS message. Smishing is becoming an emerging and growing threat in the world of online security. Read on to learn what smishing is and how you can protect yourself against it.
Put simply, smishing is any kind of phishing that involves a text message. Often times, this form of phishing involves a text message in an SMS or a phone number. Smishing is particularly scary because sometimes people tend to be more inclined to trust a text message than an email. Most people a...

This year, Norton visited DefCon 24, a hacking conference held in Las Vegas. Established in 1993, this conference is designed to bring together people from all realms of the Internet security sector to explore the latest threats that are currently on the Internet, and to learn how to get ahead of them. This year, the conference had a record-breaking attendance of 22,000 people ranging from hackers, coders, journalists (me!), security researchers and even federal government employees.
This was my first time attending this conference, and although I did my research on it, it was beyond my e...

Wireless Internet access is one of the modern conveniences of our time. However, your home wireless router can also be an access point for hackers. If your Wi-Fi router isn’t secured properly, you could be letting anyone with a wireless-enabled device gain access to your home network. That means you’re opening up your emails, banking information, and maybe even details of your smart home’s daily schedule to criminals.
Basic Wireless Security
Every router should have a password to keep out the bad guys. Some routers come with default passwords, but you should change these during setup. C...

Many VPN providers safeguard their customers’ anonymity by offering a no-log network, meaning that they do not collect, or “log,” any information transmitted through the network. They don’t save information about your personal details, where you go online, what you download, or what you search for. Therefore your privacy and anonymity are protected from everybody — even your VPN provider.

The goal of this game is quite the opposite of all other games- to get you out into the world and interacting with other people playing the game. If anything, parents have been applauding this game for getting their children off of the couch and out getting some actual exercise. So far, my favorite headline about the game has been “Sore Legs Become Pandemic As Pokémon Go Players Accidentally Get Exercise.”
However, I’ve also stumbled upon some other news headlines that are quite worrisome, that affect people’s virtual and physical privacy. As a result, instead of writing a typical artic...

One of the great things about this game is that is popular amongst both children and adults, so our main suggestion is to play with them. This can be a great opportunity for you to engage and play along with your children!
First things first, with all apps your children are interested in, download the app and play it yourself to become familiar with what your children will be doing. This way, you can become more informed about the gameplay, and you can talk to your child about how to be safe while using it.
This is part two of a three part series where we are going to delve into examini...

In one way or another, you’ve probably heard of Pokémon Go, the latest new app that seems to be taking over smartphones everywhere. When I first heard about the app, it piqued my curiosity, given my passion for cyber security. Admittedly, I became addicted immediately, which lead me to research how the game works, how to play it, and what the possible security risks are that come along with the game.
Firstly, it is important to note that this game is not your average smartphone game. It uses a technology known as augmented reality, which is a blend of real life and technology. There are m...

If you’ve uploaded pictures to Facebook recently, you might have noticed that it has the uncanny ability to recognize people's faces. This is just one example of high-tech facial recognition software in action. Here’s what you need to know about this emerging technology.
How Facial Recognition Software Works
You’ve never given much thought to how you recognize a face, and probably even less to how a computer would do it. Still, it’s not news that human faces have certain qualities you recognize. The spacing of eyes on a face, the position and width of a nose, the shape of a hairline and ...

Introducing “Zero Days,” the real-life cyber warfare documentary featuring Symantec cyber-security experts Eric Chien and Liam O’Murchu.
You may have heard about the Stuxnet virus in the media over the years. However, brief news reports don’t even begin to uncover the darkness of this threat. In “Zero Days,” director Alex Gibney takes a deeper look at the sophisticated piece of weapons-grade malware that destroyed a part of an Iranian nuclear facility, as well as help facilitate espionage by spying on its target.
This thrilling documentary discusses the complexity of the virus with Sy...

You’re probably familiar with 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi hotspots. In today’s increasingly connected mobile world, there are a variety of ways to get and stay connected to the Internet, but what’s really the safest way?
Truth be told, nothing is 100% safe. However, there are ways that you can beef up your own security to get as close to that 100% as possible. It begins with understanding what these technologies are, and the risks that come along with them.
How Do Mobile Devices Connect to the Internet?
Let’s break down the three different ways your mobile device can connect to the Internet, and...

Mobile payment apps are changing the way we do business, but they can also be convenient ways to send money to friends and family. It’s easier than ever to send money to the people who need it, but also easier than ever for hackers to gain access to that money before it gets where you want it. How do you keep yourself and your money safe, while also being able to access the convenience of mobile payment apps?
How Mobile Payment Apps Work
You can pay using your phone, even without apps. Some companies, such as your phone company, allow you to pay your bill using standard text messaging....

There’s a good reason hackers love free public Wi-Fi. It’s because they can easily access information on unsecured Wi-Fi networks. So when you’re in a coffee shop or an airport checking your emails or paying bills while on public Wi-Fi, you could be letting cybercriminals spy on your sensitive and personal information.
VPNs, or virtual private networks, like Norton WiFi Privacy can turn those public Wi-Fi hotspots into secured private connections. Watch this short (30 seconds!) video to see how a VPN could give you a new sense of security on Wi-Fi.
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File sharing technology is an easy way for individuals or institutions to transfer content on the internet. There are several peer-to-peer (P2P) applications and services available. Some applications are free and others offer paid subscriptions for larger storage capacity, speedier service or extra security. File sharing is a very common activity for most online users, but file sharing also makes you susceptible to various online threats including identity theft, infection or attack.
If you plan on using file sharing technology be sure personal data and other sensitive materials are secur...

Early on a Wednesday evening, I received a call from my doctor. Her voice, frantic on the line, proclaims, “I’m so happy to hear your voice- the strangest thing happened today. You were marked in our system as deceased for about 20 minutes.” I paused for a moment out of shock, and assured her I was very much alive and well. She went on to explain how she’d never seen anything like it before. As the initial shock wore off, we started to have a bit of a laugh on how bizarre this was.

As summer arrives, it’s not just families that will be filling airports and hotels. While other people may be vacationing, business travelers will continue to work their way around the country and the world, often using unsafe public Wi-Fi.

Did you know that 429 million identities were exposed in 2015? Findings from the 2016 Symantec Internet Security Threat Report show that this number actually hides a bigger story. While there was a record number of 9 mega breaches in this year, companies are not required to disclose the full extent of a data breach. The total number of people affected by a data breach and whose identity is compromised as a result could be much greater. A conservative estimate by Symantec accounting for unreported breaches pushes the number of records lost in a data breach to more than a half billion, in ...